Moving-picture-film-printing unit.



l. T. WELLS.

MOVING PICTURE I`IL|V| PRINTING UNIT.

APPLICAUON FILED FEB.12.1915.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

JOHN T. WELLS, OFy NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE EDWARDS MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MOVING-PICTURE-FILM-PRINTING UNIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Original application med VOctober 5, 1914, Serial No. 865,129. Divided andpthis application filed February To all 'whom t may concern j Be it known that I, JOHN T. WELLS, a

citizen of the United States, and residing at Newport, in the county of Campbell. and

State of Kentucky, have invented a .new`

` quirements, enabling the same fundamental mechanism to be used serially for the three steps of taking, printing and projecting,

with the fewestA possible interchangeable` parts and operations. y

The features of the invention are more fully set forth in the description of the ac companying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Whichz- Figure 1 is a vertical section through the center of the film and light controlling mechanism. Fig. 2 is a similar section of the upper portion of the back plate and adjacent parts, showing the printing plate in place. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the printing plate.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is of a type adapted when inclosed in a camera-box, for use as a picture taking camera, and is `also adapted to be used as a film printing machine. When the film and light controlling mechanism is removed from the camera-box and used in coperation with a( projecting lantern, a complete projecting machine is obtained.

It will, of course, be apparent that my improved printing plate may be applied`to other types of film controllingunits of the same general character.

The mechanism shown consists of a frontboard 20, a base-board 21 and a liningplate 22, to which side frames 24, supporting the film feeding mechanism, are secured. A vertically adjustable focal tube plate 35 is slidably mounted in the frontboard 20 near the lining plate 22 and carries a focal Serial No. 7,841.

tube 36, which projects rearwardly through an elongated aperture in said plate and terminates with a framing plate 37. The light shutter operates adjacent the front end of the focal tube.

The film guide plate 38 (see Fig. 1) is of an elongated double S formation, having an intermediate straight portion provided with an elongated opening or film light exposure aperture 39, in which'is dis osed the framing-plate 37, mounted on t e inner end of focal-tube 36. This guide plate is secured to the lining-plate 22 and serves as a support for other parts, as will be described.

The film in its travel through the machine is first engaged by a constantly driven feed roller 42, which serves to replenish the film loop 43 initially manually formed, dl1r' ing the threading of the film into the machine.` The film is next intermittently fed through the guide channels and past the focal exposure tube, by an intermittently operated roller 44. The constantly driven roller 45 serves as a take-up roller and between said roller and the roller 44 is another initially manually formed film loop 46. These film loops relieve the film of any excessive feeding strains and by reason thereof an even tension of the film past the focal plane is obtatined.

For holding the film in contact with the feed roller, I provide a tension device consisting of a pair of rubber surfaced rollers,

75, carried by a. housing 76. Said housing through orifices inthe upper end of the guide plate 38, and is forced toward the feed roller by springs 7 9 surrounding said studs between the housing and guide plate. The upper edge of the housing 76 is elongated and formed into a film chute to guide the film in true alinement to the feed roller.

Duplicate tension devices 80, 81, are provided for the intermittent feed roller 44 and the takeup roller 45. These are carried by a backlate 82, which is removably pivoted near tbe bottoms of the side frames and is held in position by a bail 83, engagin its upper edge. By raising said bail the ack plate 82 may be swung backward, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to permit the threading of the film into the machine. The backplate 82 is rovided with a light aperture. 84 for, admitting the light rays of a projecting m A i ,aref/ae lantern to the lm when the maehnie is used as a projecting machine. rlihe entire mechanism is driven by any suitable means such asL an electric or other motor or manually by an operating crank handle.

In the printing of `the positive film, the developed negative and a sensitized iilm are simultaneously fed through the machine past the framing-plate 37, the negative being next to said plate. To yieldingly hold Said films in close Contact and to provide a backing therefor, l provide a detachable printing plate 130, (see Figs. 2 and 3), formed of spring sheet metal and provided with hook ends adapted to engage the top and bottom edges of the light aperture 84C, in the 4back plate V82. dThe printed film, (which is a positive) is then developed, after which it may be used in any standard projecting machine.

Having' described my invention, li claim 1. lin a device of the class described, an apertured film guide, film feed rolls for moving the film over said guide, a correspondingly apertured member hinged to open and close vertically relative tosad guide, film feed rolls on said hinged member coacting with the first-named lm rolls, and a detachable tension plate for closing the aperture of the hinged member and adapted to hold two films in close contact adjacent said guide aperture for printing.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a fixed and a hinged film guide between which `the lilmeis fed, said guides having coincident focal apertures, a detachable film-tension plate for closing the aperture in the hinged guide member constiltuting a printing-back and means for intermittently advancing the lm.

lin witness whereof, f hereunto Subscribe my name, as attested by the two subscribing witnesses.

JHN T. WELLS. l/Vitnesses C. B. los'rna, L. A. Bren. 

